Skyline is an innovative capless parapet solution that throws out the notion of old fashioned metal capping.

Background

Cooper Morison is a privately owned building company operating in Victoria.

Founded by James Cooper Morison in 1958, the company operates primarily in commercial and industrial construction. More recently, it has diversified into high quality residential projects and multi-storey apartment developments.

One such development is the Balaclava Road project in Caulfield North, a three-storey multi-unit apartment. Featuring contemporary styling and clean lines, the complex is billed as an iconic landmark for luxury apartment living.

Challenges

During construction, Cooper Morison poured over the plans for the balustrade walls and felt that the specified metal capping would devalue the clean lines of the overall design.

Nathan McPherson, Cooper Morison’s Senior Project Manager explains, “Metal capping on balustrades is a fairly traditional solution, however it isn’t well-suited to modern and contemporary architecture and it often gets scratched in the long-term. We wanted to achieve a high-end finish for our client that was in keeping with the aesthetics of the project.”

“Given that we had just applied the MasterWall polystyrene wall cladding system on a range of monolithic walls at the complex, we decided to seek Practica MMC’s (now trading as Masterwall) advice with respect to balustrade capping and waterproofing.”

Solution

The project used the Skyline system – an innovative capless parapet solution that throws out the notion of old fashioned metal capping.

Featuring an advanced waterproof membrane with a renderable facing able to withstand harsh Australian conditions, the Skyline system provided the ideal solution to Cooper Morison’s design integrity challenge.

Outcomes

As part of the project, Skyline was installed seamlessly over the MasterWall external insulative cladding wall system. It was used on an array of large, wide and solid balustrade walls. A flexible membrane material was applied over the head of the parapet walls to create a seamless finish, with no ugly metal capping visible at the skyline of the building.

“One of the advantages of using the Skyline system is that it eliminates the need for traditional membrane paints or sealants, which have a high lifecycle cost,” explains Nathan. “And, it provides a novel method to protect balconies from getting scratched or damaged.”

“In addition, the sloped head design of the system meant that we ended up with strain-free walls and there were no cracks or crevices to deal with. Plus, the advanced waterproofing detail will enable the building to withstand the harsh weather conditions of Melbourne for many years to come.”

“Yet, the real benefit of Skyline is that it complements the building’s sleek nature and contemporary design. Getting rid of metal cappings has made a huge difference to this project. It has enabled us to maintain the streamlined styling and enhance the clean lines of the façade, which also brings the developer and architect’s vision to life.”

“As for cost-efficiency, when you consider the interconnected nature of MasterWall and Skyline, we have realised operational savings in the construction of this project. Skyline is an innovative solution that adds value to the building’s infrastructure and delivers real benefits to the occupants.”